South Africa's TB, HIV history prepares it for virus testing

Airbus asked to cancel contract; Japan offers stimulus

WILKES-BARRE &mdash; As the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases continues to surge in Luzerne County, with Hazleton City at the epicenter, former U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta has called on Gov. Tom Wolf to stop the flow of people from out of state into the area.
				Barletta Monday said he has called the governor and his team several times, beginning two weeks ago, to discuss what he felt was a problem, but the calls went unanswered.
				&rdquo;People are making big sacrifices to keep their families and neighbors safe, but vans and buses were running daily from New York City to Pennsylvania,&rdquo; Barletta said. &ldquo;Posting signs at the state line is not enough. We needed enforcement that anyone coming from New York and New Jersey be quarantined for 14 days when they arrived. And that didn&rsquo;t happen.&rdquo;
				Barletta said the numbers in Luzerne County &mdash; now at 849 as of Monday &mdash; and specifically in Hazleton &ldquo;are staggering.&rdquo; He said governors in states like Florida, Rhode Island and Texas have been proactive.
				&ldquo;It&rsquo;s unfortunate that our governor didn&rsquo;t take the problem in Northeast Pennsylvania more seriously,&rdquo; Barletta said.
				Gov. Wolf responds
				Lyndsay Kensinger, Gov. Wolf&rsquo;s press secretary, sent a response to Barletta&rsquo;s claims:
				&ldquo;Our records indicate that our staff had one conversation with Mr. Barletta on March 27. Mr. Barletta spoke with our staff for approximately three minutes. He asked about the county stay at home order and what we were doing for interstate travel. Mr. Barletta followed with a joke about building a wall.
				&ldquo;The governor agrees that all non-life sustaining bus service from NY to PA should stop and some companies have stopped service. We have been in close contact with the PUC regarding interstate bus travel and we have encouraged limiting this travel.
				&ldquo;We are also asking New York, New Jersey and Connecticut travelers to Pennsylvania to abide by President Trump&rsquo;s request to quarantine for 14 days. Also, PennDOT has posted the 14-day quarantine request on its electronic messaging signs in Northeast PA &mdash; the largest gateway into Pennsylvania from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.&rdquo;
				Legislators comment
				Fellow Republican, State Rep. Tarah Toohil, R-Butler Township, agreed with Barletta.
				&ldquo;We are again requesting that the governor stop transportation to and from New York and New Jersey that is not for a life-sustaining purpose,&rdquo; Toohil said. &ldquo;While we have had progress, we still need the governor to take swift and decisive action.&rdquo;
				In the Hazleton Area, Toohil said industrial plants are still using workers from out- of -state &ldquo;hot spots&rdquo; that are being bused into our area, further exposing the local workforce to COVID-19.
				&ldquo;We made progress with the governor shutting down out of state rental housing in the Poconos. However, we need as much assistance as possible from the governor&rsquo;s office in the Hazleton area here in Luzerne County.&rdquo;
				Rep. Gerald Mullery, D-Newport Township, said he has been advised that the law prohibits the governor of any state from closing its borders or restricting commerce and personal travel between states. However, Mullery said the Supreme Court has not provided much guidance on this issue
				&ldquo;The virus is here,&rdquo; Mullery said. &ldquo;The level of community spread in Luzerne County is troubling. I would encourage our citizens to focus on things they can control such as staying at home, wearing a mask in public when on essential trips, social distancing, washing their hands, and calling a health care provider if they feel symptoms of the coronavirus.&rdquo;
				Sen. John Yudichak agreed.
				&ldquo;Whether it is residents of New York City or Hazleton, stay at home means stay at home,&rdquo; Yudichak said. &ldquo;While the health care professionals in Luzerne County are telling us the surge in COVID-19 positive cases is among local residents in our communities, it is imperative that residents of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut heed the directive from the CDC to cease all non-essential domestic travel immediately and stay at home to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus.&rdquo;
				Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski, D-Wilkes-Barre, said until a vaccine or medicine is found to treat the virus, isolation and sterilization is our only way to protect ourselves to survive the crisis.
				&ldquo; This virus is a silent killer, you can&rsquo;t see it until it&rsquo;s too late,&rdquo;Pashinski said. &ldquo;Science has demonstrated conclusively that isolation and sterilization, at this point in the transition of this virus, is the only safe way to prevent the virus from spreading.&rdquo;
				Barletta frustrated
				Barletta said he has been trying to get a strong message out to all of Hazleton, especially the Latino community, which he said has expressed concern of the language barrier, making it difficult to understand the warnings that have been issued daily.
				Barletta said he contacted his high school friend, Joe Maddon, manager of the Los Angeles Angels baseball team. Barletta said Maddon told him he will try to enlist a few well-known athletes do some public service announcements in English and Spanish on the COVID-19 crisis.
				Angels star Albert Pujols has already done a PSA, as has Maddon. Barletta said they will soon be distributed to local media outlets for broadcast.
				Barletta said Maddon told him he will get back to him after he talks to a few current and former players about helping to spread the word about the importance of social-distancing and self-isolation.
				&ldquo;I&rsquo;m told that 80 percent of the people in Hazleton have not been self-distancing,&rdquo; Barletta said. &ldquo;I told Joe Maddon that there is a crisis in Hazleton. I told him we need to get a strong message out to the Latin community.
				&ldquo;What&rsquo;s happening in Hazleton is scary. Everybody is out walking around and the virus is spreading.&rdquo;
				Barletta said he &ldquo;worked the numbers.&rdquo; He said in Philadelphia, 2.28 persons per 1,000 have contracted the virus, and in southeast Pennsylvania the rate is 1.5 per 1,000. He said in Hazleton, the numbers are &ldquo;five times worse.&rdquo;

124807070_web1_TTL102618Barletta2

124807070_web1_retreat03CMYK

124807070_web1_TTL110218Governor-3--1-

124807070_web1_TOOHIL

124807070_web1_Gerald-Mullery

124807070_web1_Pashinski-cmyk

124807070_web1_AP20042734055401

124807070_web1_albert

Barletta blasts Wolf for inaction, asks Maddon for help